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Newby Thomas W.York Santos In the span of just a few centuries, what is now New York City went from a verdant wilderness on the edge of the known world to a sprawling megalopolis that commands international attention. Still, with all its size and frenetic energy, New Yorkers remain stubbornly sentimental about the city they call home. Painters, writers, and filmmakers have tried to capture its essence and appeal. But nothing compares to actually being there, walking the streets, and soaking in the unique, syncopated rhythm of the city. Unlike cities such as Rome or Beijing, New York cannot look back on millennia of development and history. Even so, unprecedented growth and prosperity over a relatively short time has raised New York to the level of the greatest cities of civilization. Concentrated into a relatively small space, “The City,” as people call it, is a world of commerce, imagination, diversity, and productivity. The city actually consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Yet, when people speak of New York City, they generally are talking about the island of Manhattan. This is where it started. This is where the vitality of the city is most evident. This is where the buildings scrape the sky.

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08-20001 ETF_41_51.indd 41 12/20/07 8:28:58 AM The History coast, he sailed into New York Harbor and up what is now There are many reasons why New York became the the Hudson River. He never found the passage, but the leading city that it is. The most compelling reason is its Dutch laid claim to the land he had explored. In 1613, they large, deep natural harbor. In the 1500s, European explor- established a fur trading post on the extreme southern end ers marveled at the potential this protected body of water of Manhattan island and later called it New Amsterdam, had as a seaport and trading center. also dubbing the surrounding area New Netherlands. Before the Europeans arrived, the area around what is In 1626, Peter Minuit, the director general of the now lower New York State, New Jersey, and Delaware was Dutch trading venture, “purchased” the whole of Manhat- inhabited by the Lenape, an Algonquin-speaking nation of tan from the Lenape, giving them tools, blankets, and other hunter-gatherers. According to the history books, the first goods in trade. It is doubtful that the Lenape saw this trade European to set eyes on New York harbor was Giovanni da as a true purchase in the European sense, and later this Verrazano, an Italian explorer scouting the Atlantic coast of clash of cultures would bring the Native Americans and the America in 1594 for the French crown. He apparently did European settlers into conflict. not stay long, but the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that con- New Amsterdam, clinging to the southern tip of nects Brooklyn to Staten Island is named for him. Manhattan, was not a success at first. It attracted all sorts The first European to map this region in earnest was of rough and unseemly settlers who made the little colony the English explorer Henry Hudson. He was working for a fairly lawless place. In 1647, the Dutch East India Com- the Dutch East India Company, which had contracted him pany sent a hard, humorless man named Peter Stuyvesant to find a trading passage to Asia by sailing west across the to clean it up. He did just that, disciplining the popula- Atlantic. In 1609, during his exploration of the Atlantic tion and encouraging further settlement. New Amsterdam kcotSrettuh S © S

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, towers over Liberty Island in New York Harbor. Visitors travel 42 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 1 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m to and from the island by ferryboat. |

08-20001 ETF_41_51.indd 42 12/20/07 8:29:06 AM tock s hutter  S © © was starting to attract all sorts of people, making it a dis- tinctly diverse place. In 1664, the British, who had formed colonies all around New Netherlands, forced the Dutch to hand over the colony. The British immediately renamed it New York. From the beginning, New York was the leading economic and cultural center of North America. During the American Revolutionary war, the city was targeted by the British, who sent a massive war fleet into Ellis island in New York Harbor was a processing center for New York harbor in June-July of 1776. In late August, immigrants from 1892 to 1954. Today the renovated facility the British soundly defeated the revolutionary army in the functions as a museum and research center. Battle of Long Island. The British maintained control of New York Harbor until the end of the war. After the United States won independence, New York primary entry point on the Atlantic coast for immigrants was briefly the new U.S. capital, and the first president, to the United States. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, George Washington, was inaugurated there in 1789. But millions of people emigrated from Europe to the United the capital was transferred to Philadelphia the following States to escape economic, political, and social hardship. year and eventually to Washington, D.C. In 1892, the U.S. government opened an immigra- In 1825, with the opening of the Erie Canal, which tion facility on Ellis Island, in New York Harbor, that connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes and processed more than 12 million people over a period of opened shipping to the Midwest, New York became the 62 years. Even though two-thirds of the immigrants only premier American port on the Atlantic coast. Within 15 passed through New York on their way to other parts of the United States, others poured into New York City, most years, the city’s population more than doubled. Over the notably the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Because they next century, the city continued to grow, easily becoming shared a common language and culture, immigrants from the largest city in the New World. the same country tended to settle close together, creating In 1898, New York expanded beyond Manhattan unique neighborhoods that survive to this day. island when what became known as “Consolidation” was In the late nineteenth century, Chinese immigrants instituted. In one moment, New York City more than dou- started to move into Lower Manhattan. Throughout bled its size and population by incorporating the boroughs the twentieth century, Chinatown continued to expand, of the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. Before maintaining its distinct Chinese character as New York this historic transition, Brooklyn itself was already one City grew up around it. Today, a walk through Chinatown of the largest cities in the country. This binding together is like a trip to the other side of the world with Chinese of millions of New Yorkers was further strengthened six spoken everywhere and signs in Chinese characters. The years later in 1904 with the opening of the New York City restaurants serve unique foods, and the shops sell items Subway, which made it possible to traverse the city with from Shanghai and Beijing. relative ease. The first three decades of the twentieth century Throughout the twentieth century, New York City brought massive waves of Italians to the United States. maintained its claim as the largest and most dynamic city in A large percentage of these immigrants settled in the five the world. As the now familiar skyline rose, American busi- boroughs of New York City. As the years went on, Italian ness and entertainment found in New York a fertile ground neighborhoods started to disappear but one remained for growth. Trade and commerce, art and music, literature strong—Little Italy. Just north of Chinatown and cen- and journalism all thrived in this dynamic environment. tered on Mulberry Street, Little Italy is a neighborhood of And now in the twenty-first century, even as other cities in restaurants, shops, and businesses owned by descendants the world have become large, exciting metropolises, New of Italian immigrants. The neighborhood is much smaller York still holds a place in the world’s imagination as a city now than it used to be, but you can still walk down Mul- where dreams can be realized, where anything is possible. berry Street and have a dish of flavorful pasta or a frothy cup of cappuccino. tock

s Immigration In 1954, the immigration facility on Ellis Island Immigration has had a profound impact on the tex- closed. But the main building was later renovated and is hutter  S ture of American culture. And New York City served as the now open as a museum and research center exploring the © ©

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, towers over Liberty Island in New York Harbor. Visitors travel E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m N u m b e r 1 2 0 0 8 43 to and from the island by ferryboat. |

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The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River between the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. When it opened in 1883, this bridge was considered one of the engineering marvels of its time.

American immigrant experience. Americans can research Grid because some of them curve to follow the natural records and ship manifests to learn when their ancestors aspects of the land. arrived in the United States. Ellis Island is a short ferry ride On New York’s systematic and symmetrical layout, from Battery Park in Manhattan and is a popular destina- there are beautiful buildings, famous bridges, and neigh- tion for both tourists and schoolchildren. borhoods where history was made. The ferry to Ellis Island also takes visitors to nearby Liberty Island to see a famous symbol of America, the The Boroughs Statue of Liberty. This statue, designed by sculptor Fred- The Bronx is the northernmost borough of New eric-Auguste Bartholdi, was a gift from France to the York City. The name comes from one of the first settlers, United States to acknowledge the friendship established Jonas Bronck, a Swedish sea captain who had a large farm between the two countries during the American Revolu- here in 1641. In the late twentieth century, the Bronx tion. Dedicated in 1886, the Statue of Liberty towered became one of the poorest and most crime-ridden places over New York Harbor and was one of the first sights seen in America. In recent years, the Bronx has started to make by immigrants when their ships sailed into the harbor. a comeback. The crime rate is down, and New Yorkers are starting to be attracted to the Bronx by what it has Geography and Architecture to offer—the famous Bronx Zoo, the Bronx Museum of New York can sometimes feel like a chaotic place. Art, Fordham University, and, of course, Yankee Stadium There are so many people—more than eight million—so home of the New York Yankees baseball team. much traffic, so much energy. Yet one thing remains Queens, the borough that covers the greatest area, was constant, and that is “the Grid.” From the beginning of named for Queen Catherine, wife of Charles II of Eng- its history, New York has had a plan. The founders of the land. Although Queens is largely residential, both major city looked northward across Manhattan and envisioned New York airports, John F. Kennedy International and an orderly layout of streets and avenues. The Grid, laid LaGuardia Airport, are situated in Queens. In 1965, the out in 1811, planned for streets to run east to west and New York World’s Fair was held in the Flushing Meadows avenues to run south to north. Each street and avenue area of Queens, bringing the quiet borough to worldwide has a number, with letters used in a neighborhood on the attention. Today that attention is focused on the annual Lower East Side nicknamed Alphabet City. The East Side U.S. Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows. is separated from the West Side by Fifth Avenue. Queens is also home to a baseball team, the New York The boroughs are laid out in roughly the same way, Mets. Over 45 percent of the residents of Queens were but because they developed as separate cities, more of born overseas, making Queens one of the most ethnically their streets have names, and the streets don’t all fit the diverse communities in the United States.

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08-20001 ETF_41_51.indd 44 12/20/07 8:30:07 AM Brooklyn, named for the city of Breukelen in the lyn. That changed in 1883 with the opening of the Netherlands, is one of the most vibrant communities Brooklyn Bridge. Considered one of the engineering in America. If it were a city separate from New York, marvels of its time, the Brooklyn Bridge joined Manhat- it would be one of the largest in the country. Brooklyn tan to Brooklyn in one span. Many other bridges have is a borough of green parks and streets lined with char- been built to unite the city, but none has the iconic acteristic “brownstone” homes (built of reddish brown power of the Brooklyn Bridge. In the center of the bridge sandstone). The renowned Brooklyn Museum has one is a raised walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. of the finest art collections in the world. The Brooklyn The Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River. But, the Academy of Music has gained recognition and acclaim East River is not really a river. It is a “tidal strait” that hosting productions of all the performing arts—classical separates Brooklyn and Queens on Long Island from music, opera, theatre, and dance. The Park Slope section Manhattan and the Bronx on the mainland. of Brooklyn has become a unique enclave of contempo- The other impressive bridge in New York is the Ver- rary American writers. razano-Narrows Bridge that spans the opening of New On the west side of New York harbor is Staten Island, York harbor. It is the longest suspension bridge in the connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge United States and is the starting point of the yearly New and to Manhattan by the Staten Island Ferry. Sometimes York Marathon. called the “forgotten borough,” Staten Island has the Parks smallest population of all the boroughs and has a quiet suburban feel. Many people who work in New York When the grid plan for Manhattan was designed in choose to live on Staten Island for the peaceful neighbor- 1811, it did not include any parks. Several decades later, as hoods far from the hustle and bustle of the city. the city was rapidly growing, city leaders decided to revise the plan to include an enormous park in the center of the Rivers and Bridges island. Central Park, the first landscaped public park in the The boroughs of New York are separated by the United States, was designed by landscape architect Freder- Hudson and East Rivers and New York Harbor itself. ick Law Olmsted. It opened in 1873. The park stretches all In the old days, New Yorkers used ferries to cross from the way from 59th Street in the south to 110th Street in Manhattan to Queens, or from Staten Island to Brook- the north. Fifth Avenue runs along the eastern edge. tock s hutter  S © ©

Ice skaters in Central Park take a break from the city that surrounds them. An immense public park occupying six percent of the island of Manhattan, Central Park provides year-round recreation for New Yorkers.

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during the Great Depression when such a large project should have been unthinkable. After it opened in 1931, it sat mostly empty for years; some people jokingly called it the “Empty State Building.” Now it houses numerous offices, shops, and restaurants and is one of the most vis- ited sites in the city because of the stunning views from the observation deck on the 102nd floor. There is an interesting story in the race for the tall- est building in the world. At the time the Empire State Building was being built, the Chrysler Building was under construction ten blocks away. An Art Deco mas- terpiece, the Chrysler Building was being touted at that time as the second tallest building in the world, follow- ing the Bank of Manhattan Building being constructed downtown. The architects of the Chrysler Building had a secret, though. Hidden from view inside the building, they were constructing a spire to top the building. At the end of construction, the 125-foot spire was raised into place taking the title of tallest building in the world from the Bank of Manhattan Building by just 60 feet. The honor wouldn’t last, though. The Empire State Building would open less than a year later, and it exceeded the Chrysler Building in height by more than 200 feet. The Empire State Building, the tallest building in New Another building important to New Yorkers is This colorful building is in SoHo, a neighborhood known for its art and artists and for the distinctive cast iron embellishment of its original buildings. York City, is a popular destination for tourists. Since it opened in 1931, more than 110 million people have Grand Central Terminal. It is one of the two main train visited this famous building. terminals in the city. More than 125,000 commuters pass through Grand Central Terminal each day. More than Millions of people each year enjoy the lakes, mead- twice that number come to shop in its stores and eat ows, and trees of Central Park. People roller-skate along in its restaurants, and perhaps to admire the building’s the lanes, play sports on its fields, and visit the Central beautiful architecture. Park Zoo. In winter there are ice skating rinks, and in summer there are free performances of Shakespeare plays in the outdoor theatre. Central Park is known by many for the horse-drawn carriages that can be hired for a leisurely ride around the park. Another large park designed by Olmsted is Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Like Central Park, it is used by the citizens of Brooklyn as a meeting place and for recreation. The park has a band-stand for concerts, a zoo, and base- ball fields. It’s even possible to go horseback riding in the park, right in the middle of Brooklyn. Also in the park is the Audubon Center, where city children can learn about nature and environmental preservation. tock s Famous Buildings hutter  S

The Empire State Building is one of the symbols of © New York. The name comes from the nickname of the State of New York. Until 1954, the Empire State Build- Grand Central Terminal, a busy commuter hub, connects train, subway, and pedestrian traffic. More than 125,000 commuters pass through the ing was the tallest building in the world, and it is cur- terminal each day. rently the tallest in New York City. Strangely, it was built

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This colorful building is in SoHo, a neighborhood known for its art and artists and for the distinctive cast iron embellishment of its original buildings.

Famous Neighborhoods ing into an attractive area of streets lined with historic homes and thriving businesses. One of its notable resi- Harlem dents is Bill Clinton, who, after his presidency, estab- Situated on the northern end of Manhattan is a lished his office on the newly revitalized 125th Street in neighborhood rich in history and culture—Harlem. the center of Harlem. Named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, it has been a center of African American identity for well SoHo over a century. It is also the home of modern American The SoHo district of New York is known for its art music; the rhythms of jazz and the blues were nurtured and artists. SoHo is an abbreviation meaning “South of here. Harlem showcased such great musicians as Duke Houston Street.” For much of the mid twentieth century, Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Cab Calloway at the SoHo was known as the “Cast Iron District” because of famous Cotton Club and singers Billie Holiday, Ella the ornate cast iron architecture of its buildings, SoHo Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Aretha Franklin at the was a neighborhood of factories and warehouses mostly Apollo Theater. for the garment industry. In the 1960s, artists moved into The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ’30s saw the abandoned warehouses of SoHo because the large the rise of black writers, artists, and musicians that would well-lit spaces were perfect for artist studios. Artists were have a profound and lasting effect on American culture. also attracted by the cheap rents. (Some were “squatters,” tock s Great American writers such as Zora Neale Hurston and moving into abandoned buildings and living there for Langston Hughes emerged from this era. free.) After the district was designated a preservation area hutter  S

© © In the years that followed, Harlem declined and in 1973, SoHo suddenly became popular. Through the decayed. By the 1960s, Harlem had become a dangerous 1960s and 1970s, more and more people moved in, and Grand Central Terminal, a busy commuter hub, connects train, subway, neighborhood plagued with crime and drugs. This trend real estate prices skyrocketed. Now SoHo is one of the and pedestrian traffic. More than 125,000 commuters pass through the terminal each day. was reversed in the late 1990s with an infusion of public most fashionable and “arty” parts of New York, filled with funds and neighborhood pride. Harlem is now develop- studios, art galleries, cafes, shops, and restaurants.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of several museums along New York’s “Museum Mile,” has a collection of more than two million pieces that includes art of every time period and style.

Greenwich Village New York Stock Exchange. Ever since then Wall Street has Greenwich Village is a “Downtown” neighborhood been associated with high finance and trade. with a reputation for alternative lifestyles. In the 1600s, Over the years, Wall Street has had its characters and Greenwich Village actually was a village situated north villains. J. P. (John Pierpont) Morgan is probably its most of the original settlement of New York. As the city grew famous. Morgan, a financier and industrialist in the late up around it, Greenwich Village was absorbed into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, grew rich on greater metropolis but retained its name and unique investments and corporate mergers that made him the character. Today New York University sits in the center wealthiest man in America. Because of his wealth and of Greenwich Village, and its academic atmosphere lends business dealings, he was a controversial figure. Some a youthful, unconventional feel to this part of town. people saw him as a ruthless, greedy man. Others saw “The Village,” as most people call it, has always him as a benefactor of the arts and sciences. When he been a place of avant-garde art and progressive politics. died, he left his sizeable art collection to New York’s Through the years, it has been the home of many famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. American writers and artists, including Edgar Allan Poe, After years of economic optimism and speculation, Walt Whitman, Jackson Pollock, Jack Kerouac, and Bob the New York Stock Exchange and the other exchanges Dylan. Greenwich Village is known for its bookstores, along Wall Street crashed on October 29, 1929. The art galleries, funky shops, small experimental theatres, depression that followed was global in scope, and it took and intellectual culture. years for the stock market to recover. Today “Wall Street” includes not just the street Wall Street itself but also the surrounding neighborhood, which is bustling with bankers, investors, and stock brokers who In 1699, the British tore down the wall that protected inhabit the world of high finance. the old Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam from the outside world. A street was laid out in the space that was left, appropriately named Wall Street. One hundred years Arts and Entertainment later, a group of speculators would gather regularly under a buttonwood tree at the lower end of the street by the East Art Museums River. There they would trade. In 1792, twenty-four of The “Museum Mile,” a stretch of Fifth Avenue these brokers drew up an agreement called the Buttonwood that runs along Central Park on New York’s Upper East Agreement to establish what would eventually become the Side, is the location of some world-class museums. The

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08-20001 ETF_41_51.indd 48 12/20/07 8:31:41 AM most famous of these is the Metropolitan Museum of week or for many years, depending on its popularity. The Art, commonly known as “The Met.” It is an enormous longest running show is “The Phantom of the Opera,” museum, the largest in the United States. The Met’s which opened in January 1988. holdings cover all periods and styles of art, and its perma- Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway refer to New nent collection contains more than two million pieces. A York theatre productions that are produced in smaller few of the highlights of the collection include the hall of venues scattered around the city. Off-Broadway shows Egyptian artifacts, the display of armor, and the exhibi- are more experimental than the entertainment-focused tion of clothing and fashion design throughout history. productions of Broadway. Still, productions are in There are, of course, many famous paintings, sculptures, established theatres with large, loyal audiences. Off-Off- and photographs to view as well. In addition to its main Broadway refers to plays and musicals that are alternative collection, the Met puts on many special exhibitions each in form and content. The spaces in which they play are year, inviting visitors to come back again and again. usually small theatres, or sometimes not even theatres at The Met’s medieval collection is housed in a special all. Avant-garde or outlandish productions that would building at the northern tip of Manhattan. This building never appear in Broadway or Off-Broadway theatres can is called “The Cloisters” because the architectural design find a home in Off-Off-Broadway. is a replica of an ancient monastery. The Cloisters is a Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall beautiful and peaceful place to view the medieval art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of several museums along New York’s “Museum Mile,” has a collection of more than two million pieces that Not far from the Met is the Guggenheim Muse- Lincoln Center is the premier venue for the per- includes art of every time period and style. um, known for its unique architecture. Designed by forming arts in New York. It is the home of the Metro- renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the building politan Opera, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, is a spiral, wider at the top than the bottom. The Gug- and the Juilliard School for the performing arts. Around genheim collection holds some of the greatest works of the grand plaza are gathered an opera house, a theatre, modernist art from the beginning of the twentieth cen- and a concert hall. The complex also includes studios tury. Many consider the Guggenheim a required stop on and rehearsal halls where artists develop their crafts and any visit to New York. schools for young actors, dancers, and musicians. Lin- There are many other great art museums in New York, coln Center is an exciting place to see a play, ballet, or including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Muse- opera, or to hear some beautiful music. um of American Art, and the Frick Collection. New York Carnegie Hall is another famous concert hall in New has always been the center of the American art world, and York. It is named for philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the richness of the city’s museum collections reflect that. who financed its construction. Since its opening in 1891, Carnegie Hall has hosted world-renown musi- Broadway cians, conductors, and orchestras. It is said that if you Broadway is exactly what its name describes—a “play Carnegie Hall,” you have reached the top of your wide avenue. It stretches northward from Battery Park in musical career. Lower Manhattan up the length of the island, through the Bronx, and finally into Westchester County outside the city limits. Broadway is the oldest and longest thor- oughfare in the city. But Broadway is more than just a street; it is the main artery of the American theatre. People come from all over to experience the best theatre the country has to offer. The term “Broadway” refers to the 32 large theatres scattered around Times Square in midtown Manhattan, what is called the Theatre District. Plays and musicals that are produced in a Broadway theatre are consid- ered the pinnacle of the art in America, although the productions tend to aim at mainstream audiences. The productions will run for as long as audiences buy tickets; a show will close when ticket sales no longer support it. This means that a Broadway show could run for only a © Shutterstock

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New York City Government Every year hundreds of thousands http://www.nyc.gov/ of visitors to New York City go to see the United Nations This website provides visitors with information about Headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The 18-acre site the various offices and people that make up New York City’s includes four buildings—the Secretariat, the General government. It also has information about events sponsored Assembly, the Conference building, and the Dag Ham- marskjold Library. The United Nations (UN) currently by the city. has 192 members, and the flags of those nations line the Transportation in New York City plaza in front of the General Assembly Hall and Secre- http://www.mta.info/ tariat. The row of flags, displayed in English alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, stretches from This is the official website of the Metropolitan Transit 48th Street to 42nd Street. Authority, which operates the bus and subway systems in New The decision to locate United Nations Headquar- York City. Website visitors can find maps, schedules, and a ters in the United States was made in 1946 by the UN “trip planner” to help them plan travel in the city. General Assembly, then meeting in London. Several United Nations Cyberschoolbus U.S. locations were considered, but a donation of 8.5 million dollars from philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/ Jr. secured the purchase of land at the present site. And Part of a teaching and learning project supported by the the City of New York provided a gift of additional land. United Nations, this website features lesson plans for teach- The UN complex was designed by an international team ers and online activities for students, as well as links to other of prominent architects. American Wallace K. Harrison United Nations websites. was named chief architect, and ten other countries each nominated an architect to the Board of Design Consul- tants. The 11 architects began the project in early 1947. References The U.S. government provided an interest-free loan to the United Nations for the cost of construction, which Burns, R., J. Sanders, and L. Ades. 2003. New York: An illustrated his- began in 1949. tory. New York: Knopf. The Secretariat Building, which houses the UN Times Square in the heart of New York's Theatre District is teeming Ellis, E. R. 2004. The epic of New York City: A narrative history. New with traffic and bright electric billboards. administrative offices, was completed in 1950, and Unit- York: Carroll and Graf. ed Nations Headquarters officially opened in 1951. The Jackson, K. T., 1995. The encyclopedia of New York. New Haven: Yale Library was dedicated in 1961. Over the years, changes The City of New York has had dozens and dozens University Press. have been made inside the buildings to accommodate of songs written about it. Many books singing its praises Kantor, M., and L. Maslon. 2004. Broadway: The American musical. the expanded membership of the United Nations. Today New York: Bulfinch Press. and reviling its excesses have been published over the the General Assembly Hall, the largest conference room, seats more than 1,800 people. years. Plays have been produced, paintings painted, films filmed, and photographs taken. All this has been done to Thomas W. sanTos is a Regional English Language Officer. The UN Headquarters site is international territory Before joining the Department of State, he taught English owned by the member nations. It has its own security capture what makes New York, New York so captivating. and worked as a teacher trainer in Korea, Hungary, the force, fire department, and postal service. (The postal service issues stamps that can only be mailed from the Still, nothing can compare to walking the streets, riding Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, and Vermont. the subway, eating in the restaurants, and meeting the Headquarters; tourists often mail postcards bearing these stamps.) people. The energy of “The Big Apple” is infectious; it

tock Taking a guided tour is the only way for visitors s grabs hold of you and won’t let go. No wonder people to see the inside of UN Headquarters. Tours are led by

keep coming back to the city time after time. There is hutter professional guides representing all the member nations  S

always something new to see, something exciting to do. © and are conducted in many different languages. Visitors taking a tour see exhibits, various council chambers, and the General Assembly Hall. If their timing is good, they Websites of Interest might even see a council meeting in session. Ellis Island The United Nations Headquarters displays many beautiful and meaningful works of art created spe- http://www.nps.gov/elis/ cially for its halls and chambers. Sculptures and statues The National Park Service operates both the park and the donated by member nations adorn the grounds of the official website of Ellis Island. Visitors to the website can find complex. One sculpture, the Japanese Peace Bell, was information about the Statue of Liberty (located on nearby made from the metal of coins collected from 60 different Liberty Island) and the American Family Immigration History countries. Japan presented the bell to the United Nations in 1954, and it is rung every year on September 21, the Center. International Day of Peace. Metropolitan Museum of Art The Peace Bell and other sculptures, as well as paint- http://www.metmuseum.org/ ings and murals inside the buildings, create an impression The website of “the Met” presents information about the Graceful fountains adorn the exterior of the Metropolitan of grandeur and dignity, reflecting the importance of the museum’s permanent collections and temporary exhibits. It Opera House, one part of the famous Lincoln Center for work being done at the United Nations. the Performing Arts. also includes a “MuseumKids” sections for younger visitors. Flags of member nations line the plaza leading up to the international headquarters of the United Nations in midtown Manhattan. 50 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 1 | E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m

08-20001 ETF_41_51.indd 50 12/20/07 8:40:32 AM United Nations Headquarters

EvEry yEar hundrEds of thousands of visitors to New York City go to see the United Nations Headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The 18-acre site includes four buildings—the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the Conference building, and the Dag Ham- marskjold Library. The United Nations (UN) currently has 192 members, and the flags of those nations line the plaza in front of the General Assembly Hall and Secre- tariat. The row of flags, displayed in English alphabetical order, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, stretches from 48th Street to 42nd Street. The decision to locate United Nations Headquar- ters in the United States was made in 1946 by the UN General Assembly, then meeting in London. Several U.S. locations were considered, but a donation of 8.5 million dollars from philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. secured the purchase of land at the present site. And the City of New York provided a gift of additional land. The UN complex was designed by an international team of prominent architects. American Wallace K. Harrison was named chief architect, and ten other countries each nominated an architect to the Board of Design Consul- tants. The 11 architects began the project in early 1947. The U.S. government provided an interest-free loan to the United Nations for the cost of construction, which began in 1949. The Secretariat Building, which houses the UN administrative offices, was completed in 1950, and Unit- ed Nations Headquarters officially opened in 1951. The Library was dedicated in 1961. Over the years, changes have been made inside the buildings to accommodate the expanded membership of the United Nations. Today the General Assembly Hall, the largest conference room, seats more than 1,800 people. The UN Headquarters site is international territory owned by the member nations. It has its own security force, fire department, and postal service. (The postal service issues stamps that can only be mailed from the Headquarters; tourists often mail postcards bearing these stamps.) Taking a guided tour is the only way for visitors to see the inside of UN Headquarters. Tours are led by professional guides representing all the member nations and are conducted in many different languages. Visitors taking a tour see exhibits, various council chambers, and the General Assembly Hall. If their timing is good, they might even see a council meeting in session. The United Nations Headquarters displays many beautiful and meaningful works of art created spe- cially for its halls and chambers. Sculptures and statues donated by member nations adorn the grounds of the complex. One sculpture, the Japanese Peace Bell, was made from the metal of coins collected from 60 different countries. Japan presented the bell to the United Nations in 1954, and it is rung every year on September 21, the International Day of Peace. The Peace Bell and other sculptures, as well as paint- tock ings and murals inside the buildings, create an impression s of grandeur and dignity, reflecting the importance of the hutter

work being done at the United Nations.  S © ©

Flags of member nations line the plaza leading up to the international headquarters of the United Nations in midtown Manhattan. 51

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